Small cell architectures may include low-powered radio access nodes that operate in licensed and unlicensed spectrum that have may somewhat modest range relative to more highly powered radio access nodes. Small cell nodes are “small” as compared to mobile macro-cells, which may have a range of tens of kilometers. Small cells provide a small radio footprint, which can range from meters to kilometers.
Small cells include femtocells, picocells, and/or microcells. Small-cell networks can be realized using distributed radio technology that may include centralized baseband units and remote radio heads. Small cells may be centrally managed by mobile network operators.